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"The whole thing is just a mess. Councils are reluctant to go against private landlords because in most in most areas there is a homelessness problem, so there is a real conflict because councils often house homeless people in these properties.

"It sends the message that landlords can get away with murder. Landlords are breaking the law and they know they are."

Local authorities can then take enforcement action following the result of the inspection and seven hazard awareness notices were issued by HCC last year.

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This is a warning the council gives to the landlord that says they are aware of a problem in the property but that they will take no further action at the moment.

Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: “Everyone deserves a safe and stable home but as the number of social homes in Britain continues to fall, many people are being forced to live in unsuitable and, sometimes dangerous conditions, because of a small minority of landlords who fail to take care of their properties."

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There were 91 improvement notices issued to private landlords in Hull for what are known as category 1 and category 2 hazards.

The council also issued four prohibition orders to private landlords in 2017/18 - this restricts the use of part or all of the property and can also place a limit on the number of people living there.

David Smith, RLA policy director, added: "These results show that for all the publicity around bad landlords, a large part of the fault lies with councils who are failing to use the wide range of powers they already have.

"Too many local authorities fall back on licensing schemes which, as this report proves, actually achieve very little except to add to the costs of the responsible landlords who register.

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Hull City Council also imposted emergency remedial action against landlords. This happens when it is likely that a tenant will suffer serious harm in the near future if conditions do not improve.

The council can then complete the work itself and charge the landlord. There were six instances where this took place in Hull.

A Hull City Council spokesman said: "As the RLA has pointed out, Hull uses a wide range of methods to ensure private rented accommodation is safe and suitable to live in.

"In April 2018 the Council approved its Private Housing Enforcement Policy which would see more formal action being taken in relation to poor housing conditions.

"The Humber Landlords Association have objected to this policy, seeking to prevent its introduction, and have taken the matter to Judicial Review. This will be heard next month. In light of this it would not be appropriate for the Council to comment further."

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